The violence that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, appears to have occurred in two separate attacks over two days in two different buildings by two separate groups, according to newly released testimony by top military commanders. The first assault, on Sept. 11, 2012, on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and communications specialist Sean Smith, appears to have been less sophisticated than the later attack at a CIA annex that killed security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, officials said in congressional testimony released Wednesday. The first attack, according to an unidentified defense attache in Tripoli, showed evidence of planning but also of spontaneity.

Advertisement

"They came in, and they had a sense of purpose, and I think it sometimes gets confused because you had looters and everyone else coming in," he said. "It was less than kind of full, thought-out, methodical." But the second attack on the CIA compound showed clear military training and was probably the work of a new team of militants taking advantage of U.S. vulnerability. "Given the precision of the attack, it was a well-trained mortar crew, and in my estimation they probably had a well-trained observer," retired Gen.

A surveillance camera and a U.S. flag hang from the embassy of the United States on July 7 in Berlin. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Carter Ham told Congress in closed-door testimony earlier this year. The attack showed "a degree of sophistication and military training that is relatively unusual and certainly, I think, indicates that this was not a pickup team. This was not a couple of guys who just found a mortar someplace." Democrats seized on the transcripts' release to contradict the popular perception that the U.S. military was told to "stand down" rather than come to the aid of the besieged Americans at Benghazi. "The military responded appropriately, quickly, to the best of its ability at that time, and no 'stand down' order was ever issued," said the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. "Any suggestions to the contrary are offensive and downright wrong.

Palestinians carry the body of 3-year-old Mohammed Mnassrah, killed by an Israeli airstrike, to his funeral in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on Thursday. (Hatem Moussa/AP Photo)

Germany sharply escalated the spy vs. spy drama with the United States by announcing Thursday that it would expel the top U.S. intelligence officer in Berlin. "The representative of the U.S. intelligence services at the United States embassy has been asked to leave Germany," said a statement from government spokesman Steffen Seibert. "The request occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation by federal prosecutors as well as the questions that were posed months ago about the activities of U.S. intelligence agencies in Germany." German prosecutors said Wednesday that police raided properties in the Berlin area on "initial suspicion of activity for an intelligence agency" -- widely interpreted to mean U.S. spying. German media said the suspect worked at Germany's Defense Ministry and aroused suspicions because of his close contacts with reputed U.S. spies.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, sharply criticized President Barack Obama for not taking responsibility for anything at a news conference on the immigration crisis Thursday in the Capitol. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Israel sharply stepped up its aerial offensive in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, bringing the three-day Palestinian death toll to at least 85 at 750 sites it has targeted. Hamas militants, meanwhile, continued to fire fairly crude rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, some of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, and none of which have caused serious injuries. Israel has mobilized 20,000 reservists in preparation for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, which could cause increased casualties on both sides. "The ground option needs to be the last option and only if it is absolutely necessary. It is a carefully designed plan of action," said Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner.

It's OK when Miley Cyrus does it at the MTV Video Music Awards, but middle school teachers should never twerk at kids' parties while drinking vodka. (Charles Sykes/AP Photo)

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill appeared Thursday to be leaning toward a compromise on the immigration crisis at the U.S. border. In discussions on President Barack Obama's request for $3.7 billion in emergency spending, a compromise was emerging in which policy changes would allow minors pouring into the county from Central America to be deported more quickly. Top House and Senate Republicans said they don't want to give Obama a blank check and they do want to see deportations expedited. Top House and Senate Democrats, who have opposed such steps, left the door open to them on Thursday.

A Florida P.E. teacher was twerking, not working, at a party for the girls' soccer team that she coaches, and that earned her a 15-day suspension. Courtney Spruill, who also teaches history at Kernan Middle School in Jacksonville, was suspended 15 days for the July 1 incident, in which she was said to have been teaching girls how to twerk, i.e., perform the provocative dance that involves shaking your groove thing. Believe it or not, alcohol may have been involved, as witnesses told Duval County School Board investigators that Spruill was drinking vodka. A cellphone video also showed her getting a lap dance from a student, local media reported. Investigators said Spruill's actions showed "the gross exercise of poor judgment." Really? Even in Florida?

The Wire, a summary of top national and world news stories from the Associated Press and other wire services, moves weekdays. Contact Karl Kahler at 408-920-5023; follow him at twitter.com/karl_kahler.